Time to check the cheques

Outside the hothouse of Westminster Village, does anyone really care about the so-called ‘Dodgy Donors?’

Has David Abrahams benefited from his donations? NoIs this on a par with Cash for Questions? Of course not!

What’s making my blood boil is the complete hypocrisy of the Conservative Party.

Seeing the Tories crow about the payments to Harriet Harman and Hilary Benn is a bit rich when their biggest donor Lord Michael Ashcroft still won’t declare whether he’s paying tax over here and uses a front company to fund the Conservative’s marginal seat strategy.

In the last few months, Bearwood Corporate Services, a group associated with Ashcroft, donated £125,000 to the Tories and provided a further £424,959 of services in kind. At least we definitely know David Abrahams was paying tax here!

Sir Hayden Phillips, charged by the Government to find an answer, has floated a £20m limit on General Election spending, matched state funding for every £10 received in individual donations, and 40p from the public purse for every vote received in the previous General Election. And who opposed the proposals – the honourable Tories.

Reform is long overdue and if we’re start to win back the trust of the people, financial transparency is the only way forward.